US State Department underlines Turkey as key to Gaza truce

Turkey can play a key role in arranging a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. State Department has said, Anadolu Agency reported.

Deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told journalists that Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu regularly as the intermediaries try to arrange an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.

She said: "The Turkish foreign minister is a key player in the region and has some leverage he can bring to bear on the situation. They have a relationship with Hamas. I mean, they can, you know, have conversations that we can't."

Kerry and Davutoglu spoke three times on Thursday, Harf added. She declined to give details of the discussions.

"Turks have a role to play," Harf said in response to a question regarding Kerry's close consultation with Turkey.